Erasmus upgrades Kolisi and Nche to 'niggles' ahead of All Blacks series opener

Siya Kolisi and Ox Nche are edging closer to availability for South Africa’s four-Test series against New Zealand, with Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus upgrading both players from injured to carrying mere ‘niggles’ at a press conference in Johannesburg on Monday.

“Siya and Ox, I wouldn’t say they’re injured still; I think it’s niggles,” Erasmus said. “If they get through today, it might be good for us.” The coach confirmed no other Springbok players were under an injury cloud ahead of the series opener this weekend.

Erasmus also explained his decision to delay his team announcement from its customary Monday slot to Thursday — a tactical departure from the psychological ploy he has often employed of naming squads early to unsettle opponents.

“I think the announcement only coming on Thursday is respect to New Zealand and knowing how tough this one’s going to be,” he said. “In this one specifically, we think the less time they have to prepare for our team, the better. It’s no arrogance thing; it’s a respect thing.”

The otherwise clean bill of health sets up fiercely competitive selection battles across the squad, most notably at fly-half, where Handré Pollard, Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are all vying for a starting berth. Erasmus indicated he would name two of the three for the first Test, with the length of the series likely to give all of them game time.

“We’re going to pick two for this weekend,” he said. “It’s a long series, as you’ve seen both teams have injuries already, so I’m pretty sure all three will play over the next four weeks.”

Erasmus also addressed the All Blacks’ well-publicised intent to play at high tempo, a game plan that has drawn pointed responses from South African pundits who have defended the merits of a set-piece-based approach. The Springboks coach was measured but clear-eyed about the threat New Zealand pose.

“I think you can see on their social media, they are advocating this high-intensity, running, multi-phase — nobody can keep up with us. They’re not hiding it; everybody’s talking about it,” Erasmus said. “I’ve seen that, we analysed that, it definitely shows in the stats, and it shows on the scoreboard if you watched the last three games they’ve played.”

With Kolisi’s captaincy and Nche’s scrummaging influence potentially both available, South Africa will head into the series opener in considerably better shape than the injury situation suggested earlier in the week.